Alter Eco Assembles Eco-Friendly Brand Coalition to Protect the Amazon Rainforest

Press Release Sep. 10, 2019 at 4:40 PM

SAN FRANCISCO– As devastating fires continue to ravage the Amazon Rainforest, Alter Eco, a sustainability-directed chocolate company with an annual, 10-year old agroforestry program in the Amazon, is taking immediate action. As the Amazon plays a vital role in regulating the global climate through absorbing carbon dioxide, the recent surge in wildfires further amplifies the importance for change and preservation.

Alter Eco has gathered a coalition of eco-conscious brands to help protect the Amazon and drive awareness about how to counter the effects of deforestation. As part of the newly formed Amazon Alliance, Alter Eco is protecting one tree in the Amazon for every product purchased during the month of September for a total of one million trees. The Amazon Alliance partners are making additional commitments to collectively protect three million Amazonian trees (approx. 2,463 acres) before the end of the month.

Together with Alter Eco’s longtime agroforestry partner PUR Project, an organization dedicated to environmental regeneration and reforestation founded by Alter Eco France founder Tristan Lecomte, the Amazon Alliance is an example of brands working together to implement change for good. Alter Eco contributes annually to The Biocorredor Martin Sagrado project in Peru, an area made up of 147 million trees, and this region is where the Amazon Alliance conservation will be applied. The Amazon Alliance has been set up as an open model for other like-minded brands to join at any time, adding to the collective impact in the rainforest.

Amazon Alliance partners include:

Alter Eco
Gaia Herbs
Grove Collaborative
Bread Srsly
The Town Kitchen
All Good

“Taking care of our planet through reforestation and conservation has been a founding pillar of our brand from the beginning, and we cannot stand by and watch as the fires in the Amazon spread,” said Mike Forbes, CEO of Alter Eco. “With full-circle sustainability at the foundation of our business, we believe the time for action is now, and that there is power in numbers. Giving to non-profit organizations, changing purchase habits to avoid products contributing to Amazon deforestation like beef and soy, and supporting brands with a transparent supply chain all collectively make a difference. Our mission is to help more people feel empowered to make small changes that can add up to big change for our planet.”

Alter Eco and its Amazon Alliance partners are also part of the OSC2, a national community of natural products industry CEOs and business leaders who work in innovative and collaborative ways toward positive environmental change. The combination of conservation and reforestation that is part of Alter Eco’s ongoing agroforestry program within the farming community allows for a sustainable exchange of putting back as much as it takes out. Alter Eco is dedicated to continuing these efforts into the future as an integral part of its growing business model.

To learn more about how you can help combat deforestation in the Amazon, please visit www.bit.ly/AmazonWildFires. To learn more about Alter Eco and its sustainability initiatives, please visit www.alterecofoods.com.

About Alter Eco

Alter Eco is a chocolate-centric, sustainability-directed chocolate company that takes healthy indulgence to an entirely new level. All Alter Eco products are USDA Certified Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Carbon Neutral Certified and Certified Gluten-Free (excluding Dark Salt & Malt). Recognized as a top certified Benefit Corporation and one of the first registered Public Benefit Corporations, Alter Eco is dedicated to full-circle sustainability throughout its operations and supply chain through four pillars: sourcing using Fair Trade principles, producing of only organic and non-GMO foods, creating minimal waste by working towards 100 percent compostable packaging, and in-setting carbon emissions by means of large-scale reforestation programs in the cooperatives that produce its crops. These principals are entwined with Alter Eco’s commitment to the highest quality ingredients and taste in all of its products. More information is available at www.alterecofoods.com. Follow Alter Eco via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

About PUR Projet

Founded in 2008, PUR Projet works with companies to regenerate the ecosystems they depend upon. It empowers local communities to operate long-term socio-environmental projects, and helps companies strengthen their supply chains through agroforestry, land restoration and sustainable agricultural practices. This approach, called “insetting,” encourages its partners to integrate social and environmental innovation at the heart of their operations. The organization was founded by Alter Eco France founder, Tristan Lecomte, to plant trees and offset the amount of CO2 produced. To learn more about PUR Projet, please visit www.purprojet.com.